Display device



Feb. 14, 1933. J, J, KAUFMANN DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Nov. '7, 1929 JWS azmw BY W A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIE JAMES J. KAUFMANN, OF BAYSIDEQNEW YORK, ASSIGNOR- TO DOUGI-INUT MACHINE,

CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A GOR'EOR-ATION OF NEW YORK DISPLAY DEVICE Application filed November 7, 192-9.

This invention relates to devices useful in advertising and displaying small articles or -commoditiessuch as doughnuts or the likepacked in cartons or boxes, for the purpose of stimulating sales.

In the main, my invention is directed toward the provision of a collapsibledisplay device, which is neat and attractive in appearance; which can be conveniently and wherein Fig. I is a frontal perspective view of the display device.

Fig. II is a similar view of the rear of the same with portions broken out to expose important details of construction; and,

Fig. III is a section taken as indicated by the arrows IIIIII in Fig. I.

As herein depicted, the display device of my invention comprises an ornamentally configured frontispiece or placard 5, such as may be readily cut, by die stamping or otherwise, from suitably stiff cardboard or sheet metal. On the upper portion 5a of the placard may be printed or painted a representation of the article which is to be advertised, and for the purposes of emphasis, the desig nated portion may be profiled as shown to correspondthe pictorial representation in the present instance being that of a doughnut. In the exemplified embodiment of my invention, the main or body portion of the placard 5 is provided with three vertically arranged elongated display apertures 6, 7, 8; but the number of such apertures may be varied to suit specific requirements of pracapertures in the placard 5.

Serial No. 405,322.

tise, as will become readily apparent from further disclosure. For the sake of enhancing the attractiveness of the device as a whole, the contour of these display apertures is preferably diversified. Thus, the upper and lower apertures 6, 8 are formed with square corners; while the middle aperture 7 is rounded at the ends. Moreover, for a reason later on set forth, the middle aperture 7 is covered by a transparent membrane 9 of celluloid or the like, glued fast to the back face of the placard 5, see Fig. III.

There is provided a means for sustaining the placard 5 in upright position, said means having the form of a wing easel 10, which, like the placard 5, is made from stiff sheet material and secured to the back of the latter, by cementing or soldering, with formation, incidentally, of a vertical hinge crease at 11. The easel 10 is locked in extended position by a flap 12 resultant upon cutting the lowermost display aperture 8 in the placard 5. As shown, the flap 12 is swingable inwardly and downwardly about a horizontal crease 13 along the lower edge of the aperture 8 into contact with the bottom edge of a vertical opening 15 in the easel 10, said flap being provided at the center with a slit 16 to engage an upstanding tongue 17 within the opening 15. The described construction permits ready collapsing of the device in an obvious manner; and in this connection, it is to be noted that the proportions of the easel 10 are such that it does not project beyond the confines of the placard when folded flat against the latter, after the manner indicated in dot-anddash lines in Fig. II.

The opening 15 in the easel 10 is utilized for the accommodation, in the present instance, of a multiplicity of packages or boxes P in superposed relation; to wit, three in number to correspond with the three display As shown in Figs. II and III, an upward slit 18 is made in continuation of the rear edge of the open ing in the easel '10 and a flap 19 concurrently formed, whereof the lower edge is adapted to f'rictionally engage the uppermost package P, thereby to effectively retain the stack in the assemblage. This retaining -fiap 19 is preferably scored along a line 20 so that it can be displaced laterally to faciliate introduction of the packages P into the opening 15 of the easel 10 when the device is set up initially, as well as to permit ready removal of said packages subsequently. It will be seen that with the packages P in place, the flap 12 on which the lowermost one of them rests, is effectively maintained interlocked with the easel 10, so that the device cannot possibly collapse of its own accord. By virtue of their weight, the packages P render the device stable against easy upsetting, and it is, moreover, to be noted that the allocation of said packages is such that they register with the apertures 68 in the placard 5, see Fig. III.

In setting up the organization, the packages P may all be left closed so that trade-marks or other markings on their frontal faces are exposed through the registering display apertures 68 in the placard 5. As an alternative, when the commodity on sale admits of display, the package P at the center of the stack may be opened incident to placement, to the end that its contents (in this instance doughnuts) are visible through the middle display aperture 7 of the placard 5 although protected against contamin'ation by the transparent membrane 9 spanning said aperture.

In addition to the pictorial representation previously referred to, the placard may bear an index pointing to the articles displayed through the aperture 7, as well as legends concerning or directing attention to the commodity being advertised for saleall as shown in Fig. I.

Obviously, the display device of my invention is susceptible to considerable variation both as regards adaptation to the display and advertisement of articles of different kinds, and as regards the accommodation and arrangement of packages in different numbers. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the precise details of construction herein disclosed by way of exemplification, but to be accorded the privilege of all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A collapsible display device made from sheet material and comprising a placard having vertically spaced display apertures therein, a flap foldable downwardly intohorizontal position along the lower edge of the lowermost display aperture, an attached wing easel to sustain the device in upright position, said easel having an opening with an upstanding tongue engageable in a center slot in the foldable flap to afford even support for packages with faces thereof at the display apertures of the placard, and a flap set apart in the upper region of the easel opening by a vertical slit and horizontal crease to frictionally retain the packages against displacement.

2. A collapsible display device made from sheet material and comprising a placard, an attached easel swingable about a vertical axis to extended positon, said placard having a display aperture cut in it with provision of a flap swingable inwardly and downwardly along the lower edge of said aperture into an opening in the easel, said easel when folded flat against the placard lying wholly within the confines thereof and having an opening with an upstanding tongue at its lower edge to engage in a center opening in the swingable flap to lock the latter in extended position and thereby provide a level rest for superposed packages engaged within the opening of the easel with frontal faces thereof exposed at the display apertures, and a laterally displaceable flap at the upper edge of the easel opening defined by a vertical slit and horizontal crease, said flap being adapted to frictionally engage the top face of the uppermost package to retain them against acciden tal displacement.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at New York, New York, this 1th day of November, 1929.

JAlVIES' J. KAUFMANN. 

